SHELTON -- Tiffany Lopez wanted a ride home Dec. 19 when she called police and claimed she'd been robbed, according to an arrest warrant.

Lopez, 20, of Providence Avenue, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of falsely reporting an incident and misuse of the 911 system, Lt. Robert Kozlowsky said. She hasn't yet posted a $500 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

Lopez called police at 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 19 from the parking lot of the U.S. Post Office on Bridge Street, said Kozlowsky, the department spokesman, claiming that a man had tried to grab her purse.

She told police that she observed what appeared to be a handle of a black pistol in the man's jacket pocket. Based on Lopez's account, police sent out a description of the suspect, the driver and the getaway vehicle to area police departments. Shelton police detectives also began an extensive search for the suspects and the vehicle.

Lopez later admitted that she falsely reported a robbery because she wanted a ride home. She was also charged with failure to appear in court in a separate case, Kozlowsky said.